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Legal Cannabis Export Passes the Oregon Senate! SB 582

Jesse Bontecu special to Salem-News.com

"There’s not just a surplus of cannabis here – we have a massive wealth of knowledge, talent, experience, and skill that results in our state producing the highest quality cannabis in the world" -Casey Houlihan (ORCA)

State Senator Floyd Prozanski – one of the chief sponsors of SB 582 – said of the bill, “This is a next step for Oregon to be a leader in the cannabis industry."

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - In a historic move today, the Oregon Senate voted in favor of a bill that would create a framework to allow Oregon to export cannabis to other states or countries that have also adopted legalization.

After passing with a 19-9 vote, the bill will now advance to the House, where it has already received support from lawmakers in both parties. The Governor’s office has also indicated support for the bill, meaning that today’s Senate vote is likely the largest hurdle the bill will face on its way to becoming law.

Before it would allow exports to occur, the bill requires an indication from the federal government that interstate commercial cannabis transactions won’t be prosecuted under federal law.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but today’s Senate vote is a major step forward for the future of Oregon’s cannabis industry – and in securing our position as the country’s leading cannabis exporter,” said Casey Houlihan, Executive Director of the Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association (ORCA).

ORCA has been working with lawmakers to develop a bill to establish a framework for exporting cannabis since 2015. A similar bill was introduced in the 2017 session, where it was voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee and passed 3-2, but the bill never received a vote in the Senate and died.

Houlihan continued, “Oregon is already one of the leading exporters of cannabis in the nation, and it has been for decades. We want those sales to be legal and regulated and taxed. The solution is fairly simple: We need a framework for exporting that excess supply into other states and countries as soon as possible.

"There’s not just a surplus of cannabis here – we have a massive wealth of knowledge, talent, experience, and skill that results in our state producing the highest quality cannabis in the world.

"Our climate is ideal for large-scale cannabis cultivation. Allowing Oregon producers and brands to access outside markets will bring innumerable jobs to some of the communities in Oregon that need them the most,” Houlihan said.

State Senator Floyd Prozanski – one of the chief sponsors of SB 582 – said of the bill, “This is a next step for Oregon to be a leader in the cannabis industry. We should do everything we can to promote the industry because it will, in fact, provide good family wage jobs in local communities.”

The Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association is a trade association of over 350 cannabis businesses all across the state that work together to advocate for a more vibrant and responsible retail cannabis marketplace, which in turn creates an environment where all upstream businesses can thrive.